Month: May 2021

Despite positive news in the fight against COVID-19 in Iowa, some are not yet ready to unmask.“I think we need to continue wearing masks,” said Claire Frances of Cedar Rapids. “The CDC was precocious on a national level.”KCRG reports many people like Frances and her son, Julien Moisan, have decided to take caution in removing their masks from their everyday life just yet.“I think we need to get more Iowans vaccinated before we can do that,” said Moisan.Psychologists at the University of Iowa said this was a trend they were starting to see despite businesses and communities lifting mask mandates across the state. “The people who were struggling have possibly been the ones who were still grieving the loss over a loved one,” said UIHC Clinical Assistant of Phycology, Stacey Pawlak. “A l...

Truck driver José Mendoza has a Humana HMO plan through his employer. It has a $5,000 deductible and 50% coinsurance, leaving him financially vulnerable. Bryan Cereijo for KHN hide caption toggle caption Bryan Cereijo for KHN Truck driver José Mendoza has a Humana HMO plan through his employer. It has a $5,000 deductible and 50% coinsurance, leaving him financially vulnerable. Bryan Cereijo for KHN ...

A simple thumb test can help indicate whether a person is harboring a hidden aortic aneurysm — which can prove fatal if left undetected and untreated, new research reveals.  The self-conducted test, proposed by experts affiliated with the Aortic Institute at Yale New Haven Hospital, requires holding up one hand as if signaling someone to stop.  Then, the person should flex their thumb as far as possible across the palm. If the thumb crosses beyond the far edge of the palm, the patient may be hiding a hidden aneurysm — an abnormal bulge that occurs in the wall of the major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart throughout the body. Being able to stretch the thumb in that way is an indication that a patient’s long bones are excessive and their join...

Dear Prudence, I have been married to a great guy for five and a half years. He is handsome, sexy, funny, and kind. It’s true that he has always been a little “prissy” about illnesses, but I never thought it was a real problem. However, during the pandemic, his terror about getting sick has reached new levels. For the last year, he has refused to take off his face mask, even when we are at home—just the two of us. This is true even now that he is fully vaccinated for the virus. He wears it to sleep, to do most of his bathroom activities, and, yes, even during lovemaking. To eat, he pulls it up to expose his mouth, and then quickly pulls it back down between bites. While he does not insist that I do the same, I can tell it bothers him that I don’t—especially because I hav...

Photo: Claire Lower I love the drama of serving a whole head of roasted garlic. It’s a little parcel of flavor that never fails to impress, but extracting the cloves can be a little messy (even with a pickle fork), and (unless you use an air fryer) roasting it to that soft and spreadable stage takes at least 50 minutes. Fortunately, you can cut that time in half by peeling the garlic before you roast it. You’ll get a slightly different flavor profile, but it will still be sweet, deep, and spreadable—all the things you want roasted garlic to be. Peeling the cloves lets them cook more quickly and more evenly, so the inside dwellers see as much heat as the outside guys. You can also manipulate the texture and color of your roasted cloves with the amount of oil you add. More oil gives the...